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Habs acquire Zack Kassian


dlbalr

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Prust is one of the best fourth liners in the NHL but paid too much to play there.

Kassian has soft hands, a big body and everyone tells him to either stick to his hands or be a monster.

I'm clearly high on him so I think he could do both but if he doesn't? He's at least a cheap top nine player with a high shooting percentage and a lot of size. On the low end he ends up a third line RW who puts up 10 goals and 30 points.

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Prust was a great soldier, will be sadly missed!

Welcome Kassian, just wished Lucic was still in Boston so he could slap him around...

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Going to miss prust, I think his presence meant more to this group then we know. We do get cap savings and I think the heavy tole of his style was starting to catch up with Prust, looked to have lost half a step this year. Little risk with Kassian. At worst he replaces Prust and at best could finally break through.

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Kassian ain't a fighter.

One of the issues the Canucks had with him was wanting him to be a Lucic-type power forward. Kassian seems more inclined to play a finesse game, and it got to the point where every time Kass had a non-physical game he got stapled to the bench. I'm rather hoping that the Habs avoid the trap of thinking of him as some sort of Intimidator and just allow him to be whatever he is - provided he works hard. (He had a rep as a hard-partying type, so that's the red flag here).

EDIT: this is a tough trade to figure from Vancouver's end. They're trying to get younger, so they trade a 24-year-old for a 31-year-old, broken-down Prust? They need top-6 FWds even worse than we do, so they get rid of a guy who at least has some sort of hope to evolve into a top-6 FW, in exchange for a guy who never will? And they toss in a 5th? I'll bet the local yokels are up in arms.

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I think it's his brother who is more the fighter. I am a big Prust fan but I'm ok with the deal.

Hopefully MB will land someone else. Belesky would be my pick of who is left.

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I don't think Prust is broken down. He put up 18 points when mostly playing on the fourth line. He's getting more irrelevant. That's what's happening to him. Chewing rocks and throwing fists isn't guaranteed to be an important player anymore. I don't think his skill is diminishing as much as his role is diminishing.

That's why it's pointless to worry about if Kassian can fight. Fighting is going out. Kassian is big and will throw them if he has to. That's all that matters. "If he has to". I want him scoring, not scrapping.

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Prust also became expendable after his comments of the officials in the playoffs, don't need the refs taking it out on the team all next year!

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#8 might soon join #20 for Cursed Habs Numbers if Kassian doesn't work out.

#20 goes back to the one year wonder Kjell Dahlin.

The longest term #8 i remember is Risebrough.

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Guest Stogey24

Pac-Plek-gallgher

Desharnais-Galchenyuk-kassian

De La Rose- Eller-Weise

Thomas-Mitchell- Pelly

Package Desharnais and get a winger who can bury

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We have many 3rd lines so we need lotsWe lost Prust !

Prust was not the player he used to be. His type of game is difficult to play and he probably is an older athlete than his age because of that.

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I like the trade. Would've been a bit humorous had Bergevin signed Hodgson as well. Kassian, DSP, and Weise makes our RW quite sizable.

Dont worry, Gallagher brings that average down. But concidering Gallagher playing bigger than all those others evens it out.

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Kassian is a bottom 6 guy.

Buffalo traded him away when they saw him play in Rochester and he couldnt even accept a pass.

$750,000 in cap savings and getting rid of Prust and his negative partying influences on Galchenyuk and Gallagher is what this is

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Kassian is a bottom 6 guy.

Buffalo traded him away when they saw him play in Rochester and he couldnt even accept a pass.

$750,000 in cap savings and getting rid of Prust and his negative partying influences on Galchenyuk and Gallagher is what this is

I can't say I remember anything about excessive partying with Prust.

As for Kassian, he probably ideally slides into a 3rd line role which means they still need a 2nd line RW (assuming Gallagher stays as the #1 which seems likely). If they don't add, we may have a good old rotation with him, Smith-Pelly, and Weise.

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I can't say I remember anything about excessive partying with Prust.

As for Kassian, he probably ideally slides into a 3rd line role which means they still need a 2nd line RW (assuming Gallagher stays as the #1 which seems likely). If they don't add, we may have a good old rotation with him, Smith-Pelly, and Weise.

Last season this is how our positions at forward scored:

Left Wing (Pacioretty, Galchenyuk, Sekac, De La Rose, Prust, Bournival, Thomas): 76

Center (Plekanec, Eller, Desharnais, Malhotra): 56

Right Wing (Gallagher, Weise, Parenteau, Andrighetto, Smith-Pelly): 45

Meaning De La Rose needs to replace some of the LW offence (Sekac + Thomas + Bournival + Prust = 15 Goals) while Smith-Pelly and Kassian have to replace the RW offence (Parenteau + Andrighetto = 10 goals) which means combined the team has to replace 25 goals. That shouldn't be hard. We never saw DSP in a full season, never saw DLR in a full season and never got Flynn and Mitchell in a full season. Weise totals might drop but otherwise I don't think it'll be hard for the RW to improve on the 45 goal mark.

(P.S.: If the center goal scoring is alarming to you, remember that trading Plekanec means we have to replace 26 goals down the middle.)

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Kassian is a bottom 6 guy.

Buffalo traded him away when they saw him play in Rochester and he couldnt even accept a pass.

$750,000 in cap savings and getting rid of Prust and his negative partying influences on Galchenyuk and Gallagher is what this

Yeah and look how that worked out for them.

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Don't know why some of the "brain trust" analysts are upset with this deal? Maybe it's because they think Kassian should be Rick Nash and are upset that he isn't? If he was the second coming of Rich Nash then MB wouldn't have got him for Prust.

This trade is a gamble worth taking. While I'm sad to see Prust go, Kassian's untapped potential is worth the risk. No harm no foul.

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Kassian is a bottom 6 guy.

Buffalo traded him away when they saw him play in Rochester and he couldnt even accept a pass.

$750,000 in cap savings and getting rid of Prust and his negative partying influences on Galchenyuk and Gallagher is what this is

I never heard of any negative Partying influences.... and are you seriously from Port Colborne?

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Habs gain youth, upside and save cap, give up some leadership. Not sure what there is to dislike about this, especially with a fifth coming back. Here's to Kassian having a 19 goal 22 assist season... Random guess

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